


In the Eye of the Hurricane

by Simply_Hopeless



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Gen, M/M, Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-11-15 04:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11223057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simply_Hopeless/pseuds/Simply_Hopeless
Summary: Hamilton Pirate AU. Hamilton is the captain of a pirate ship. Laurens is a crew of one (plus Hercules) that is considered Hamilton's rival in the control of the Caribbean seas. As destiny seems to cross the two rivals' paths over and over, something more than just rivalry grows between the two pirates.*This entire idea came from an Instagram post by the amazing and talented @pumkinet. Go check out her profile!





	1. The World Turned Upside Down

Captain Alexander Hamilton smiled as he took in his surroundings: a beautiful blue ocean, the smell of briny sea, the taste and feel of the salty air, and the sounds of angry curses spewing from the mouth of a very angry, very tied-up General Howe, one of the many British officers that traverse the Caribbean seas. Hamilton’s ship, the _Hurricane_ , had just taken over a British trade ship, captained by the bound general. Howe’s crewmembers were either dead or treading open water as Hamilton’s crew looted every last valuable from Howe’s ship before peppering it with cannon holes until it could float no longer.

“Let me go, you filthy pirates,” Howe spat, struggling against the ropes that held him tied like a Christmas pig. “You’ll all hang for your crimes!”

Hamilton smirked at him. “Maybe we will. But you won’t be there to see it.” He nodded to one of his men, who threw Howe over the side of the ship. The general let out a shrill (and rather feminine) shriek, then fell into the water with a loud splash. Hamilton relished the sound of awkward attempts to stay afloat for just a moment before turning to the spoils of their conquest. “Gentlemen, I think we will have a very luxurious affair in Tortuga.” His men cheered and each took a handful of what gold was retrieved from the ship. It had been a few months since his crew had really enjoyed a reward. He let them have a few hours of celebration before going to his first mate, Lafayette. “Laf, I’ll be in my quarters until we reach Tortuga. Do not disturb me.”

The Frenchman nodded and took the helm. “ _Oui_ , Captain.”

Hamilton went to his quarters and stood at the window, looking at the remnants of Howe’s ship. He watched passively as the crew tried to stay afloat, tried to find a plank of wood to keep from drowning. Most of them failed at that endeavor and quickly sank below the surface. He continued to watch until they were out of sight, then took a seat in his chair. He loved this life he had; he loved sailing the open waters, taking down British ships, and having to answer to no one but himself.

As a child he never expected to be a pirate. He wanted to be a writer, but life doesn’t always turn out how you would expect it to. When his mother died and he was left to fend for himself, Alexander begged for a while to keep himself afloat, and then found that he had a knack for stealing and pick-pocketing. He also seemed to have a bit of a silver tongue, which made it easy for him to get what he wanted. He joined Captain Washington’s crew of pirates one day after meeting the man in a tavern. The captain had watched Alexander expertly steal a pouch of coins from the bartender and approached him about joining his crew. He soon became Washington’s first mate, and then captain himself after Washington died. He easily gained the respect of his crew because of his quick wit and ingenious ideas. With Hamilton at the helm, the _Hurricane_ experienced a prosperity unlike any other known by most pirates. It wasn’t long before Hamilton had made a name for himself in the Caribbean, and he liked it that way. He wanted a legacy that would have people remembering him long after he was gone, a legacy that would have people fear the name “Hamilton” for years to come.

A knock at his door startled him out of his memories. “Captain, we are arriving at Tortuga.” Hamilton blinked in surprise. Had he really been sitting here daydreaming for that long? He checked his clock. He had been sitting there for almost five hours. He shook his head but went on deck and joined his crew to visit the small island off the coast of Haiti.

Most of Hamilton’s crew went to the whore houses, but Lafayette and Hamilton went to the tavern. Lafayette stopped right as they were about to walk inside, staring up at the sky in though.

Alexander frowned. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

The Frenchman pointed up. “It’s a new moon, _mon ami_ ,” he said smiling. “It’s a sign of a new beginning, of something changing. Big things are coming our way.”

Alexander scoffed. He didn’t like the idea that anyone or anything controlled his destiny but him. “Come on, you don’t actually believe that shit, do you? The moon has nothing to do with the future or destiny or any of that crap.” Lafayette simply shrugged as they walked into the tavern and sat at a small table in the back corner. “I suppose we will find out, _non_?”

“Whatever you say, Laf.”

As Alexander ordered two pints of beer, a face Alexander Hamilton did _not_ want to see walked through the door. A man with curly brown hair in a low ponytail sauntered in and bought an entire bottle of rum. Hamilton cursed to himself. “Oh fuck, not this asshole.”

Lafayette looked confused. “Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but I’ve heard enough about him to know who he is. John Laurens.” He practically spat out the name and quickly took a sip of his beer as if to wash it out.

Lafayette immediately grinned. “Ah, I see. He’s the captain that’s, ah, how you say, stolen your lightning?”

“It’s thunder, and no, he just acts like he has. And he’s not a captain; a captain has a crew! He just sails with one other man and takes loot by sneaking on them in the night and killing the crew in their sleep. He’s not a pirate, he’s a murderous vagabond. I am still the most feared captain in these waters, I can tell you that much!”

His first mate snickered and took a drink himself. “Whatever you say, Hamilton,” he said, echoing Hamilton’s earlier words. This earned the Frenchman a glare that made him snicker even more.

“Well, well, well, you must be Captain Hamilton. I must say, you’re a lot shorter than I was expecting. Captain John Laurens, pleased to make your acquaintance.” Laurens had somehow come over to the two pirates without either of them noticing. They both started slightly at his sudden appearance. Alexander glared. “Yes, I know who you are. What do you want?”

Hamilton’s immediate animosity seemed to amuse Laurens. “Oh my, what have I done to earn such ill will from such a revered captain?”

Before Hamilton could retort, Lafayette spoke. “ _Le petit lion_ does not like to have competition for his place on the sea.” This earned him a kick in the shin from his captain and a laugh from Laurens.

“Of course, of course.”

Hamilton was completely fed up at this point. “I’ll ask you one more time before I put a bullet hole between your eyes, Laurens. What do you want?”

Laurens took a seat in front of the two men and leaned forward so as to not be overheard. “I came here to warn you, actually.” He smirked. “Some poor bastard off of Howe’s ship managed to be rescued by another ship passing by. They arrived here only an hour before you did, but word spreads fast. The British aren’t happy about you killing off their favorite general. There’s a bounty on your head big enough to buy the whole of Tortuga. My first mate and I spotted your ship and thought we would be kind and warn you before you are hung.”

Hamilton scoffed. “First mate? You mean the only other man who’s idiotic enough to follow your on your ridiculous escapades?” He decided to ignore the rest of what Laurens said; he didn’t want to grant Laurens the satisfaction of seeing him worried about a silly bounty.

“Nonsense. Mulligan is a loyal friend who has helped me earn my name on these waters. In fact, he’s at the brothel warning the rest of your crew while I’m here warning you.” Laurens sat back. “See? We don’t have to be rivals. We can be amicable, if you so choose.”

Hamilton stiffened at his patronizing tone. “Yeah, right. As if you don’t want some form of retribution for your ‘service.’ You didn’t go out of your way to make a new friendship.”

Laurens smirked. “My dear Captain Hamilton, you treat me as if I am merely a whore when in fact I am a lady of immense class. I always attempt to befriend those to whom I provide my service.” Lafayette snorted into his drink as Hamilton’s face turned red, both with anger and with the implications of what Laurens said.

“Shut up Laurens! Tell me what you want so you can get out of my sight and my friend and I can have a drink in peace, goddammit!”

Laurens smirked. “I want the map.”

Hamilton glared. “Hell no! I’m not giving you that map!” He had acquired (read: stole) a map that was supposed to lead to a huge hoard of gold from a long-dead native civilization. The map was half-finished and no one was able to figure out where it led. After their fun in Tortuga, that was going to be his next destination.

Laurens didn’t seem deterred in the least. “I understand. But I hope that you understand that you can either give me the map, or I let the nearest British officer know that Alexander Hamilton is here, his neck just itching for a noose around it.” Hamilton fell quiet at that.

Laurens stood. “I’ll be at the port at dawn. You have until then to give me the map, or I tell the British exactly where you are and where you are heading. I would think it over if I were you.” He smiled and dropped two coins on the table. “Have another round on me, boys. You’ll need it.”

He left the tavern, an angry Hamilton and an annoyed Lafayette staring at the door as it swung shut.


	2. Follow that Laurens!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter two! I'm sorry it took so long, writer's block is an awful thing.   
> Hamilton won't give up that easily, but neither will Laurens, hehe. Read to find out what happens next.

As dawn approached the island of Tortuga, a very angry Alexander stood on the port as Lafayette handed Laurens his treasure map. Laurens smiled. “Now see? That wasn’t so bad. As promised, you can leave without the authorities knowing you were ever here.” Laurens handed the map to his first mate, a burly man in a bandanna named Hercules Mulligan. The pirate quickly tucked the map into his coat and took a step back, as if he didn’t trust Hamilton and Lafayette to honor their end of the deal (which wasn’t a far-fetched idea). Laurens smiled and gave an exaggerated bow towards the two men. “Pleasure doing business with you, lads,” he said, clearly pleased with himself.   
Alexander scoffed. “I would hardly call blackmailing me ‘business,’ Laurens. And it was most definitely not a pleasure.”  
Laurens smirked. “Ah, I see. So Captain Hamilton wants pleasurable business with me. I must say, I didn’t take you for one who was interested in that sort of business. Perhaps another time.” He winked at the other pirate.  
Lafayette stepped in front of Hamilton before he lost his temper entirely. “Thank you, Captain Laurens. We will be going now.” He half dragged his captain back to the ship.  
As soon as they returned to their ship, Hamilton angrily kicked over a barrel. “Fucking Laurens!” He roared. Lafayette placed a hand on his shoulder. “Mon ami, fret not. We can still get to the treasure,” he said with a knowing smile on his face.  
Alexander looked at him like he was crazy. “Laf, without the map I have no idea how to get there. I didn’t exactly memorize the thing.”  
His first mate smiled wider and pulled out a piece of paper with a hand-drawn map on it. “No, but after Laurens left the bar I took it upon myself to copy the map. We can follow a day behind him and beat him to the treasure.”  
Hamilton’s frown instantly melted into a smile. “Laf, I could kiss you!”  
The Frenchman laughed. “Save that for when we reach the gold.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
That evening, John Laurens stood at the helm of his ship, the Black Battalion, as he closely followed the map he had gotten from Hamilton. Hercules Mulligan stood beside him. “You know he’s following us, right? There’s no way he would just hand over the map.”  
John shrugged. “Oh of course he is. But Hamilton thinks me ignorant. He won’t expect me to be ready for him when he gets there.” He smiled to himself as he adjusted his course.  
Hercules smirked slightly. “You must really like him to be willing to play such games. I must admit, you two would look good together.”  
“Herc, darling, I look good together with everybody. Here, take the helm. I’m turning in for the night” His first mate and best friend laughed as John went below deck for the night.  
He stared out the window, looking for a glimpse of Hamilton’s ship following him. He saw the small speck of the other man’s ship on the horizon and smiled to himself. Hercules did have a point; there was something that John found incredibly attractive in Alexander Hamilton. The man was as handsome as the rumors claimed, and John knew well of his reputation for being a tomcat. There was also something alluring about being in the presence of the most dangerous pirate in the Caribbean. John sighed and quickly dismissed these thoughts. It was unlikely that Hamilton even had a taste for men, and he had made clear his animosity towards John. No, Alexander Hamilton was simply out of his reach. Laurens sighed and went to bed.  
Herc was one of the only people to know of John’s… avant-garde tastes in partners. John knew how society felt about those who had such tastes. His father had made that very clear to him when he was younger and showed an interest in the same gender. Thanks to Henry Laurens, it had taken many years (and many bottles of rum) for John to share that part of himself to Mulligan, even though he knew pirates were much more accepting of his type. He was eternally grateful for the acceptance he received from Mulligan, which was one of the reasons that Hercules was the only other crewmate on the ship. He retained that inner fear that other crewmates would demonize him for his ideals.  
Despite everything, as Laurens closed his eyes to sleep, he found himself dreaming of two deep brown eyes looking into his own.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hamilton and Lafayette reached land three days after setting sail. They quickly got off the boat and told the rest of their crew to wait on the ship.   
“We will hopefully be back in a day’s time. Burr, you’re in charge while we’re gone,” Hamilton told one of his crewmates. The two stepped onto the shore that lay ahead of a thick jungle and made their way towards their destination.  
Laf used his sword to cut a path through the thicket as he teased his captain about Laurens.  
“Mon Capitaine, you cannot deny that Monsieur Laurens was quite attractive, non? He also seemed to enjoy flirting with you.”  
“Shut up Laf. Laurens is an arsehole who blackmailed us into getting what he wants. He is not interested in me.”  
“Ah, so you are interested in him.”  
“Yeah, I—wait what?! No I’m not! What the fuck Laf??”   
The Frenchman snickered as his captain sputtered and tried to come up with a retort. Hamilton was so distracted by his friend’s claim, he almost didn’t notice when a sword swung out from behind a tree and pressed against his neck. Almost.  
A very smug Laurens stepped out from behind the tree, stepping closer to Hamilton, who was glaring up at him. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like you were right, Herc. They were indeed following us.” His first mate appeared behind him, looking just as smug. “Of course I was right, aren’t I always?”  
Hamilton glared at him as Lafayette pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Laurens’ head. Immediately Hercules pulled out his own gun, aiming it at Lafayette. The men stood in a silent stand off for a good two minutes before Laurens laughed and sheathed his sword. The other men grudgingly followed suit with their own weapons. “How about we cut a deal? We follow the map together and split the hoard fifty-fifty.”  
Hamilton glared and took a step forward. “Are you joking?! Cut a deal with you, after you blackmail us and—” he was cut off by a net springing up from the ground, enveloping the four pirates. Hamilton cursed loudly as he struggled to reach for his sword. “You have to be fucking kidding me. I swear to God when I get out of this thing—fuck!” He jumped in surprise as he felt a small dart get embedded in his shoulder. The other three men yelped as they were attacked as well.  
“What the hell…?” Hamilton tried to form words but felt the world spinning and growing dark. He was able to make out shapes emerging from the bushes as he lost consciousness.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
When he awoke, Hamilton quickly realized three things. One, his sword was gone. Two, he was tied up. Three, and probably most strange, he was tied up face-to-face with a smirking Laurens. They were on the floor, Laurens laying on his back with Hamilton on top of him.   
“Wake up, sleeping beauty. You missed half the fun.” He grinned as Hamilton began struggling. “Hmm, is that a hidden knife in your pocket, Hamilton, or are you just happy to see me?”  
Hamilton felt himself blush but glared at the other man. “Are you blind Laurens? Do you not see what is happening here? This is no time for your idiotic jokes!” He struggled again but it was no use. The ropes were incredibly strong. “What even happened? How did we end up like this?”  
Laurens frowned and looked around the small hut in which they were held. “Well, you stepped on a trap out in the forest. We were captured by some savages, sedated, and when I awoke, Hercules and your Laf were missing and we were tied up.”  
Hamilton frowned. “Well the way we’re tied up reminds me of a roasted duck, which worries me. They took my sword, do you have anything to cut the ropes with?”  
Laurens nodded. “I have a well-hidden dagger strapped to my thigh, but I can’t reach it; my arms are stuck under my back. You’ll have to get it.”  
Hamilton blushed at the implication. “Are you kidding me? No way!”  
Laurens sighed. “Fine, Hamilton. Then we’ll just be cooked and eaten by cannibals.”  
Hamilton gritted his teeth. “Fine. Fine.” He wiggled and squirmed in the ropes. His smaller frame allowed him to work his hand free from the rope. He looked up at the straw ceiling in utter embarrassment as he felt for the dagger.  
Laurens smirked. “A little to the left, down, no not that, well maybe another time, ah, there it is.”  
A very flustered Hamilton quickly took the dagger and cut them loose from the rope. He jumped to his feet as Laurens stood. “We will have to be quick. Hopefully Herc and Laf haven’t been killed already.” The two pirates snuck out the hut and towards the sound of drums and yelling.  
As they followed the noise, they came to a clearing were a large tribe of about fifty cannibals were yelling in their native tongue as they carried Hercules and Lafayette, who were tied onto giant spits, towards two fires. The savages jumped around and hooted and hollered as the two pirates struggled.  
Hamilton, without thinking, ran towards his friend, ignoring Laurens’s shouts to wait. “LET THEM GO!”  
The cannibals immediately stopped and turned to stare at Hamilton and Laurens. Hamilton stopped in his tracks as he took note of the situation. He stood, unarmed, as fifty savages with spears and clubs began running towards him.   
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He looked back towards Laurens, but the pirate was nowhere to be found.  
“Dammit Laurens! YOU BASTARD!” He screamed towards the woods but there was no sign of the man.   
He turned back and looked as the cannibals swarmed closer and closer. What was he gonna do??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, a cliffhanger!!! Will Alexander survive? Will Lafayette and Hercules get eaten? Where did Laurens go?? Tune in next time to find out!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I know it's a little on the short side, but college is hard and so is writing! I'm going to try to update more regularly!  
> As always, let me know how you liked it! kudos and comments much appreciated!!

Alexander cursed as he watched the cannibals get closer, still with no idea to where Laurens had disappeared. “Fucking Laurens.” He looked around for a weapon and found a rusted machete leaning against a nearby hut, probably from one of their previous victims. He grabbed it and ran at the swarm of men. Maybe it was suicide, but Laf was his best friend and he wasn’t about to let him die without a fight.  
As good as Alexander was with a sword, the sheer number of savages quickly overwhelmed him. He had managed to kill maybe twelve of the at least one hundred before one of them landed a hit with a spear, stabbing him in his shoulder.  
“Shit!” He yelped in pain and cut into the savage that had injured him. He was losing. The machete swung wildly as the savages swarmed around him, ready to finish him off. He closed his eyes, waiting for the death that he felt had been following him around since he was young.  
Suddenly, one of the savages yelled something. Immediately they stopped attacking Alexander and started to flee. When Alexander turned around, he saw why.   
John Laurens was running at the tribe with a huge shield of fire, like some beautiful avenging angel. He chased after them, right on their heels, passing up Alexander and running the savages off until they were out of sight. Lafayette and Hercules ran over to Alexander. “Mon ami! Are you alright?”  
Alexander looked at him in confusion. “How did you…escape?” He had lost a lot of blood and was losing more, fast. Laf removed his shirt (Alexander was not so out of it that he didn’t notice the way Hercules eyes Lafayette’s muscular torso) and wrapped it around Alexander’s shoulder as a fire-singed Laurens returned to them, out of breath and with a worried look in his eyes.  
“Laurens cut us free when the tribe ran after you. Then he took part of one of their huts and lit it on fire to scare them away.”  
Laurens nodded in agreement to Lafayette’s words as he approached. Alexander frowned. “Thank you for that. I suppose I owe you an…apology for calling you a coward.”  
Laurens laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get that wound cleaned up, can’t have you dying on us.”

***************************************************

“Fuck Laurens, can you be a little gentler? You’re doing it too fast.”  
“Well if you would relax a little it wouldn’t hurt so much. Besides, it’s best if I just hurry up and get the worst of it over with.”  
Laurens continued to quickly pour a small bottle of alcohol over Alex’s shoulder, which made Alex curse in pain. “I need to stitch it up anyways, and that’s gonna hurt worse, so here.” He shoved the rest of the liquor into Alexander’s hand. “Drink.”  
“Why are you even helping me? Aren’t we fighting for the same treasure?”  
Laurens blushed slightly but all he said was, “I have enough honor not to let you bleed to death. Besides, like you said, we are fighting for the same thing. Four is better than two, and clearly there is strength in numbers.”  
Hamilton looked up at him in surprise. “Thank you,” he said softly.  
The two captains sat on a log by a fire that Hercules had built. Night had fallen over the island and Lafayette and Mulligan were asleep on the ground. Alexander took a swig of his drink and winced again when John began to stitch Alexander’s wound. “So you just keep a medical bag on you all the time?” Alex nodded to the sack that John had around his waist. So far John had procured alcohol, a needle and thread, and clean bandages from the sack.  
“It comes in handy for incidents like this,” he said simply as he finished the seven stitches he had put in Alexander’s shoulders. “Why would you even do something so utterly idiotic? Running at a tribe of cannibals, honestly.”  
Alex shrugged with his good shoulder. “I’ve been faced with worse, never could seem to die.”  
Laurens looked over at him. “What do you mean?”  
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe because he was tired, or maybe (and he would never admit this to himself) he was starting to like Laurens, but Alex decided to screw it and open up that can of worms. “When I was ten, my father abandoned us. My mom worked as much as she could, but she simply couldn’t support us both. I guess that was the start of my life of piracy.” Alexander gave a short laugh. “I began pickpocketing and stealing what I could. It wasn’t the best life, but it worked. Then two years later, we both got sick. My mother and I were laying in bed and she was holding me, and—” he coughed to hide the thickness in his voice. “She died, but I didn’t. Then that hurricane all those years ago, the really bad one? I was stuck here for that too. Once again, I couldn’t seem to die.” He took another swig of alcohol before returning it to Laurens, who drank as well.  
Laurens looked at him with a strange look on his face. “I’m sorry.”   
Alexander laughed again. “I don’t need your pity. It’s what’s made me who I am. It’s a pirate’s life for me.” He glanced at Laurens, who took a large gulp of liquor.  
“I became a pirate after my father kicked me out of the house. We had a fight over how I like to live my life, and he told me to leave and never come back. So that’s what I did.”  
Alexander frowned. “What do you mean, how you live your life?”   
Laurens took a deep breath. “I prefer the company of men over women. When my father learned of this, he disowned me, called me a filthy bugger and a pansy. It was the only time I ever saw my mother cry. She begged me to stay, and I almost did. But when I tried to defend myself an got a punch to the jaw, I knew I just couldn’t do it. I ran out of the house without a six-pence to my name. Eventually I met a captain who needed a cabin boy. That’s where I learned that this kind of lifestyle is a lot more accepting of my tastes.”  
Alexander nodded. He had learned this as well. He thought about everything John said and smiled ruefully. “So you became a pirate because you had no home either?”  
John nodded. “That’s right.”  
“I suppose we have something in common then.”   
“I think we have more in common than you give us credit for, Captain Hamilton.”  
He looked up at Laurens and suddenly noticed how close their faces were and he blushed. Laurens seemed to notice this too, and grew very quiet. They sat there for a moment, neither man breathing. Alexander looked at Laurens’ face and noticed just how handsome the man was. A scattering of freckles across sun-tanned skin that had started to blush as well. Those deep brown eyes full of mischief. Chestnut-brown curls that framed his lean face. For a moment, Alexander felt completely and utterly helpless.  
Finally Laurens stood up, nearly falling over in the process. “Y-you should get some rest. I’ll take the first watch.”  
Slightly disappointed, Alexander nodded and moved to find a semi-comfortable spot on the ground. “Right. Sorry.” He laid down, his mind reeling over what had just transpired and the implications of it. He glanced over at Laurens, who had taken a seat against a large tree. He went to say something, but the day seemed to catch up with him and he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is a little spotty. I promise it'll get better in later chapters. Let me know what you think!


End file.
